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Questions raised after Rell’s denial of publicly funded poll

E-mails contradict governor’s contention that survey on state budget never pursued

By Ted Mann In the UConn e-mail exchange, Teitelbaum forwarded the


Published on 10/14/2009 obtained Tuesday by The Day, message to the interim director of
Amy Donahue, the head of the Center for Survey Research
Hartford - Gov. M. Jodi Rell has the university’s Department of and Analysis, the polling center
insisted that her staff rejected an Public Policy, alerts College of Dautrich once ran but which was
adviser’s suggestion to use public Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean already in the process of being
funds to conduct a poll of voters Jeremy Teitelbaum that one of shut down after several years of
on budgetary issues soon after the the department’s professors - controversy, including an ethics
suggestion was made, and that the Dautrich - “has been approached investigation into Dautrich’s work
issue was never discussed after by the Governor’s office to for the Center.
the administration conducted a conduct a statewide survey of 500
focus group instead in December Connecticut adults to gather their Apparently, the poll was not
2008. views of the state budget situation conducted by the university, and
and opinions about how the Rell, Dautrich and administration
But e-mail correspondence problem should be solved.” spokesmen have been adamant
between University of Connecticut that no formal polling, apart
officials indicates that the The exchange occurred well from the focus group, was ever
proposal was still alive as late as after Rell has said her top aides conducted with public funds.
Jan. 21, 2009, long after Rell has rejected the idea of doing a poll
said the issue was discarded for with public funds, and more The e-mail exchange between
good. than one month after a publicly Teitelbaum and the center’s
funded focus group on budget and interim director, Lyle Scruggs,
At a news conference Friday, Rell political questions. seems to confirm Dautrich’s
said her administration rejected a explanation for why he never
proposal to do a poll using public In the e-mail, Donahue goes on conducted the poll for Rell:
funds soon after the idea was to say the poll was to be “funded University policy would still
raised in mid-summer 2008. through the Office of Personnel have required him to conduct
Management as an addition to an the poll through the Center for
But the governor’s staff still existing contract” - apparently a Survey Research and Analysis,
refuses to explain why Rell reference to the Office of Policy with which he had a strained
contends an e-mail exchange and Management, the state agency relationship. The center has since
between the pollster, UConn that was funding Dautrich’s been shut down.
professor Ken Dautrich, and existing contract to consult with
Rell’s chief of staff, M. Lisa Rell on budget matters - and that In a written statement, Rell’s
Moody, from the same week in the public policy department spokesman, Rich Harris, stood by
January - in which Moody and would “obtain appropriate the version of events the governor
Dautrich discuss “poll testing” approvals for this addition” to laid out at her press conference on
and “polling” on “specific cuts” in Dautrich’s contract through Friday.
her budget proposal - isn’t really UConn’s Office of Sponsored
a conversation about polling after Programs, which approves faculty “The idea of doing a poll was
all. work for non-university clients. rejected early in the process by
the Governor’s Office and the In simultaneously defending and Dautrich is working under a
simple fact is that no polling downplaying the public opinion- contract with the governor’s
using state dollars ever occurred gathering portion of Dautrich’s chief budget agency, the Office
- period,” Harris said. “Our work, meanwhile, Rell has of Policy and Management,
response is not changing because been adamant that the poll was and has been tasked with
the timeline and the truth of the Dautrich’s idea and was quickly identifying tactics to streamline
matter have not changed. I do not rejected. state government and improve
know why the idea was still being efficiency.
discussed at UConn in January, “There was a proposal to do a
because it certainly was not being poll and that came from Ken But a review of public records and
discussed at the request of anyone Dautrich,” Rell said Friday. “We correspondence has shown that
in the Governor’s Office.” never agreed to that, never said we he also repeatedly commingled
wanted to do a poll, in fact said policy guidance and political
But Moody and Rell do appear we’re not going to do a poll.” advice for the governor, advising
to discuss “polling” in an e-mail Rell’s chief of staff on drafts
exchange just days before UConn When a reporter followed up of her speeches, tipping the
officials discussed Dautrich’s with a question about the e-mails governor’s office off to potential
plans. between Moody and Dautrich maneuvers by the legislature’s
from late January, the governor Democratic majority caucuses,
Two days before Teitelbaum e- said the two were simply being and helping to gauge the most and
mailed Scruggs to discuss the imprecise, and were talking only least popular strategies for closing
possibility, Moody sent a message about the results of the focus the state’s $8.7 billion budget
to a subordinate, Matthew Fritz, group conducted in December. deficit.
inviting him to a meeting with
Dautrich at a deli in Vernon “Polling was the focus group,”
to “talk about polling budget Rell said. “I say often times
messages, specific cuts, etc.” that I want to poll the General
Assembly and see what they’re
That message was sent just four going to say. I don’t run a
days after Dautrich wrote to particular poll. I ask questions,
Moody, asking, “On another and I believe that’s what it was
topic, do you want to poll test the intended to mean.”
host of possible budget cutting
measures that might be included Rell has refused to reveal details
in the budget proposal?” of a separate poll conducted later
in the spring by her political
Rell’s spokesman and the governor exploratory committee, other than
herself have repeatedly insisted to say that it included questions
those conversations were not about tax policy.
actually referring to conducting
an opinion poll, but were actually Dautrich has acknowledged giving
a reference to the focus group advice on both the questionnaire
report Dautrich had prepared in for that poll and its results
December. without being paid by Rell’s
political committee. That service
Harris refused to elaborate is the subject of a state elections
on Rell’s reasons for that complaint filed Tuesday by a
interpretation of Moody’s Democratic political consultant.
message.

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